Twine-holder.



have invented UNITED STATES PATENT' FFiCE..

.JAMES E. FULTON, OF ATHENS, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 652,235, dated T une19, 1900. Application tiled February 19,1900. Serial No. 5,739. (llomodel.)

T0 all whom, it nty concern:

Be it known that I, JAMns E. FULTON, a citi- Zen of the United States,residing at Athens, in the county of Menard and State of Illinois,

certain new and useful Imy provements in Twine-Holders, of which thefollowing is such a full, clear, and exact description as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use Io mysaid invention.

, My invention relates to twine-holders of that class which employ awinding-drum to take up the slack twine, so as to prevent the loose endof the twine from lying on the counter, where it is likely to becomeentangled, and so as to leave the free end of the twine in convenientposition'for use.

The purposes of my invention are to provide a drum of improvedconstruction revoluzo ble by a spring in one direction to wind the twineon the drum. and revoluble in the opposite direction' by pullingr on thetwine to unwind the twine, to provide 'a supportingstand of novel andimproved construction, to provide improved means for carrying the twinethrough the drum, to provide a removable cap adapted to facilitate theinsertion or removal of the winding-spring, and to provide novel andimproved means for connect- 3o ing the drum with the stand.

With these ends in view my invention` consists of the novel features ofconstruction and combinations of parts shown in the annexed drawings, towhich reference is hereby made, and in which similar reference-numeralsdesignate like parts in the several views of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the completeapparatus.

4o Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line X X of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is avertical transverse section on the line y y of Fig. 2.

The main frame, which is preferably a single casting, consists of a base1, standards 2, a top cross-piece 3, and an arched andforwardly-extendin g arm 4. The arm 4 is pierced by holes 5, placed atintervals along the arm. The hole at the outer extremity of the arm islarger than the others and is adapted to re- 5o ceive a cord or wire, bymeans of which the twine-holder may be suspended from the ceiling orfrom any other suitable and convenient support. The twine passing fromthe ball is woven through the holes in the arm, so as to give propertension to the twine, as hereinafter explained. The drum 6 is preferablymade of sheetunetal, and in one end of the drum is a box-shaped recess7, adapted to inclose the winding-spring. A cylindrical cap 8 fitssnugly in the recess 7 and is connected therewith by bayonet-fastenings9 or other suitable securing devices. Integral with the cap S is aninwardly-extending hub or annulus 10. A helicalspring 11 has one of itsends secured to the peripheral wall of the recess-7 and its other endsecured to the pin 12. A pin l2 passes through a hole in one of thestandards 2 and is secured thereto by a set-screw 13 or other suitablesecuring device, and the inner part of the'pin projects through the hub10, and the hub turns on the pin. A curved tube 14 has one extremity xedin the outer or perimetal shell of the drum, and its other extremityprojects through one end of the drum. The projecting part of the tube 14is coaxial with the pin 12 and extends through a hole in one of thestandards and forms a journal which turns in the standard. A verticalpin 15 on the base 1 supports the spool of the ball of twine.

In practical use the twine is threaded through the holes in the arm 4,is thence passed through the tube 14, and is wound by hand a number oftimes, usually three or four turns, around the drum 6. In tying apackage the free end of the twine is pulled so as to rotate the drum bythe un winding of the twine from the drum. The turning of the drumoperates to compress the spring 11, and as soon as the twine is releasedthe spring reacts and rotates the dru1n,so as to wind the slack twinethereon.

I do not claim, broadly, the use of a drum rotatable in one direction bythe unwinding of the twine and rotatable in the other direction by aspring, as I am aware that these features have heretofore been used; butI restrict my claim to the novel features of construction herein setforth.

` Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a twine-holder the combination of a drum having a recessed end, acap itting in the recessed end of said drum and provided IOO with a hub,a pin fitting in the hub of said cap, a guide-tube passing through saiddrum and having one extremity coaxial with said pin, means for rigidlysupporting said pin, a bearing in which said guide-tube turns, and

a spring having one end secured to said pin and the other end secured tothe Wall of the recess in said drum, substantially as set forth.

2. In a twine-holder the combination of a a cross-piece 3, aperfomounted to turn a guide-tube passing base 1, standards 2, ratedarched arm 4, a drum in the standards 2,

through said drum, a spring housed in said drum and reacting to rotatesame, and a cap l inclosing said spring and detachably connected withsaid drum, substantially as shown and described, and for the purposestated.

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed ,my name at Athens,Illinois, this 2d day of January, 1900.

JAMES E. FULTON.

Witnesses:

FRANKI-IURT, JOHN BUCHANAN.

